BA

REI
So I went to REI to redeem my "dividends", and they told me that I can use it anytime for a store purchase, or if I wanted cash, I would have to wait until July.

Those sneaky devils....

BB&B
Bed Bath & Beyond sent me another one of those 1/3rd off coupons. This time it was $5 off for purchases of $15 or more.

While many items in BB&B are pricey, their basic toiletry section is priced the same as anywhere else. $0.99 for generic toothbrushes and shampoos, before the discount, is more than good enough for me.

I did splurge on one Burt's Bees lip balm. Hey, even a guy gets chapped lips, and Burt's Bees are the best lip balms that I've ever used so far....

But anyway, so long as they keep sending me these kinds of 1/3rd off coupons, I'm going to keep on stock-piling. My bathroom cabinets are starting to swell.

Blu-Ray
So, sometimes I have this tendency to fall off the frugal bandwagon in spectacular fashion. I mean, I don't just fall off, but I also appear to try to do a triple tuck with a twist in the hopes of impressing the judges.

To come straight out with it.... I bought a Blu-Ray player a while back. I know I know! What in the world do I need that for?

Perhaps it also doesn't help that part of the decision was its particularly good bundle deal that included a necessary HDMI cable that you normally have to buy separately for $30 extra? Oooh, the stone cold glare....

Or how about the free, newly-remastered Blu-Ray version of Sleeping Beauty that they've bundle into the player? It's enchanting, and would have costed another $25 to buy separately? Still angry?

Ok ok, what about the fact that it included a $50 rebate that I just got in the mail?

So, thanking only ever so briefly that I am single and not in the dog house, I now have a $50 pre-paid Visa card in my wallet, ready to do battle with upcoming bills or expenses... rather than buying more movies. You know what would be great in Blu-Ray? Right, I'll just stay here... in the... dog house.

Anybody a member of REI, an outdoor sporting goods store?

I signed up as a member because I was buying stuff there once, and the membership discount would offset the cost of signing up for said membership. Soooo, it was like a free membership that entitles me to 10% discounts for all future purchases, so I figured why not....

REI's program has an interesting premise. Rather than giving you a straight-forward "discount", they say you are signing up as more of a "shareholder" of the company! In fact, I just got my year-end literature from them that includes the "dividend check" (discount coupon) along with an additional 20% off coupon for a future purchase.

To finish the effect, the back of the glossy, catalog-like booklet shows the program's financial balance sheet....

It's an interesting concept, but as a cynical pragmatist er I mean "shareholder", I'm only looking at what kind of money and deals I can get out of it, regardless of what they want to market it as.

Fortunately, the deals don't seem too bad.... Again, 10% "dividend" return for all purchases, and they send you additional coupons for further discounts.

Also, being a "shareholder" in this case doesn't subject you to the volatility of the normal stock market, so there's no real downside to signing up, besides the upfront membership fee.

In the end, it's a novel concept that effectively doesn't do much more different than any other membership discount programs out there, but at least the deal isn't too bad either, especially for people who plan to spend a lot of money on sporting goods.

(dum dum dum dum)
I upped my monay.
(dum dum dum dum)
In my 401(k).
(dum dum dum dum)
Livin' off my cash onlay.
(dum dum dum dum)
Eatin' PB & jellay.

(dum dum dum dum)
Then mah monay gone away!
(dum dum dum dum)
Turned down my 401(k)!
(dum dum dum dum)
Sent me a letter sayin' OK!
(dum dum dum dum)
But my paychecks still screwway!

(dum dum dum dum)
So I'm still broke as a babay!
(dum dum dum dum)
Eatin' PB & jellay!
(dum dum dum dum)
It might taste kinda yummay!
But I still got
the
401(k)
blues!

Finally, I JUST set up my new 401(k) on Fidelity. Of course, I have no money in there yet, but I was surprised how easy and painless it was to get it set up and running. Kudos to Fidelity.

For now, I've set it up to 25% contribution and buying into the Freedom Fund 2040 (FFFFX), but all that can be changed at any time later....

My new boss seems like a great guy, but I think he's a little confused about the details of the 401(k) program. He's saying that my employer has a sliding scale where I have to contribute at least 6% of gross before my employer will match 4% of my gross? That's a confusing way to look at it, and I am still not sure how to get in contact with my HR rep just yet.

But, I'm sure all that will get sorted out soon enough, and the most important thing to me is to get up and running on my end.

Update:
I finally got the 401(k) literature from our HR rep, and it looks like my boss was correct. This is the first time I've heard of a company that pays a percentage match of your gross based on your own percentage of gross contribution. Long story short, the max I can get is a 4% of gross match if I put in a minimum of 6% of gross contribution.

Soooo... if that's what it is, then that's what I will go with. Of course, I can always contribute more, up to the IRS limit, but my money needs to go into other investment buckets as well. Yes, that includes the Roth.

I don't normally make more than one post per day, but this is really irking me. (A lot of things seem to be irking me lately. )

Macy's
First of all, even though I only signed up for a regular Macy's membership card over an equivalent Visa card, it appears that they still like to keep a store balance on me with a nice, healthy APY. Now, I admit, this is likely just sheer ignorance on my part, but I didn't realize that they still do that if you decline for their Visa card.... I thought it would just be a regular discount card similar to grocery store cards....

So anyways, I intend to go there tomorrow and pay them off! And possibly cancel the card. Honestly, I was just there for the membership discount, but really, I don't need or even want a card that can have a balance I have to keep track of.

SSA
Changing subjects, the Social Security Administration sent a nice little newsletter to me yesterday. In it, it stated that, at its current rate, the money for Social Security could run out by 2041. Right before I would ever get a chance to retire. Great!

Alas, that little problem is well-known by now isn't it? I mean, it's still alarming to see it in print, but perhaps someone somewhere will figure out something and fix it by then? Or am I being too optimistic?

Given that sunny piece of news, I found the following "estimated benefits" section quite laughable indeed. So, let's skip that.

What I found most interesting about the newsletter is that they've kept track and listed my annual earnings since 1994! WOW! This is so interesting because I can look at each year and basically know what happened in that year and why I only earned that amount.

What's also sad is having to go back and seeing why I've earned so little, and saved even less, in my younger years. Ah, life's regrets... c'est la vie?

Still, this is an interesting list, and I think I'm going to start keeping a similar record of my annual earnings from now on, so that I can chart my earnings progress.

I must be getting old or something because I never thought I'd actually find a newsletter from the SSA interesting. But I did!

Though it doesn't bother me most of the time, I do get tired of people basically telling me that money doesn't matter, or worse, money is somehow evil. Yes, it matters. No, it's not inherently evil. But what really sizzles my bacon is when people somehow accuse me of worshiping money or that I am too obsessed with money.

Not so! There are indeed things that are much more important to me than money. In order, they are:

#1 is my beliefs. I believe that, without some kind of belief or values, Nothing Else Matters. It is our belief in family, friendship, love, or even loyalty that binds us as a social animal. Without it, you're not really a contributor. You're just... at best, someone out there, and at worst, a parasite.

It is also my belief in my values that gives me a sense of purpose. Without my belief, I am simply a person taking up space in the world, living a meaningless life.

Without getting too wordy, and extreme exceptions notwithstanding, my two basic beliefs are to never lie or break a promise. There are more, but those are the two main ones that always apply.

#2 is life itself. My life, my health, and the lives and health of those I care about. But as important as this is, without my beliefs to begin with, even life itself would not matter. And that's why this is ranked at #2.

#3 is family and friends. I think this should be obvious, but here, I am speaking more along the lines of general bonding rather than health as mentioned in #2.

So, now that we've come down to #4, care to guess what it is? That's right, it's money! It's certainly not be the first, the second, or even the third most important thing in my life, but its importance should not be dismissed either. Money is often necessary to make #1 through #3 actually possible in real life!

It's very strange to me that some people would dismiss money so easily, and at the same time, accuse me of worshiping money. I know I'm just venting here and I highly doubt these people in question are ever going to read and understand this entry here. Still, it'd be nice if these sort of people would just understand money in its proper context, or at least keep their incorrect assumptions about me to themselves.

* Just came back from a work lunch with my current employer. This is our last week working for them, so... in other words, they fed us goooood. I got me a ribeye, cooked medium. Mmmmm mmmm! Free ribeye steak for lunch!

I'm really going to miss them though. It's not everyday you find a job you actually like, working for a company you actually like. And that just might be worth more than being stuck with someone you don't like at a job you don't like, even if it makes more money.

I have great hopes that the new employer will be just as good to work for....

* Speaking of new employers, I recently got the new work uniforms, and can I just say that I really don't like it? Yeah, I know I'm spoiled, but the old uniform was great. This new one, because of company logo and generally off-colors, isn't good for anywhere else other than work. Bah. Oh well. It's a living, and hey, it's "free"!

* However, there are upsides with the employer that I don't get with the old one. A better 401(k) program in my opinion, better selection of discounts on computers and cars, and.... *drum roll* they offer Tuition Reimbursement Program! In other words, if I go to school, they pay for it! MBA, minus the student loans? Maybe! That's what one of the regional managers whom I report to did!

All-in-all, I really can't complain about my work life. After all, it could be so much worse. I know, because I've had much worse. Do I aspire to be more than this? Of course, but baby steps I guess. Next week is the first official day with the new employer. I want to set up the new 401(k) and look into the Tuition program as soon as possible. We'll see how that goes....

* Update: Remember that job interview that I had earlier at a different place, the one that I said went really, really well? They didn't contact me, and I just found out why: Turns out that they wanted to pay a lot less than what I am making now. So... they knew that, and so they didn't contact me, which is fine. I hope they find a good candidate. They seem like really good people.

Um, speaking of which, I better hurry and call that third place....

My net worth went up a healthy clip this month, mostly because of my 401(k) contributions. However, it feels anything but good because my cash reserves have run so low. In fact, I thought my reduced contributions would have kicked in this paycheck, but it didn't. So, this week, my budget is short by $50.

Now, while it's not the end of the world or anything, this marks the first time in literally years where I've had a budget shortage. And it just irks me on general principle, making me feel grumpy.

I am finally running out of minutes on my "new" pre-pay cellphone, and decided to run the numbers. I wish I had kept better documentation of my usage, but from the looks of things, I am averaging about 250 minutes a month.

This is shocking to me because I thought I would average more like 100 minutes a month. With Tracfone's rates, that's somewhere between $23 to $25 a month for a phone bill.... That's also shocking to me because I was thinking more along the lines of $10 a month.

Well, I guess I can't complain. I mean, it's still pretty cheap for a cellphone.

But I would really like to get my cellphone bill even lower. So, what to do? Anybody have any suggestions?

I'm looking over Tracfone's promotions again, and while I can buy bulk minutes at a lower overall rate (about $0.09 a minute), I wonder if there isn't a better way out there? Short of talking less of course.

*

Feb 24th is free pancake day at IHOP!

If you're into that. I'm not really, but thought I'd throw it out there for those who are.

* I've seen the new work uniform and all I can say is BLEACK! I mean, I'm just glad I have a job, but....

Luckily, the new employer allows certain types of clothes if I want to buy it on my own. Will wait until the work clothes arrive to decide then.

* In the meantime, some co-workers are chuckling at me for being over-dressed. Hehe. Thanks again SA, for dressing me up. But it's temporary, until the work clothes arrive.

* Everyone here knows there is a psychological aspect to money. Although the numbers on my budget is working according to plan, a small part of me is very uncomfortable, and even somewhat distressed about having such a low cash reserve from the 401(k) challenge.

Is it crazy of me to look forward to next week because my paycheck is suppose to "normalize"?

* Speaking of the 401(k) challenge, my net worth is going to be up more than usual this month. At first, it perplexed me as to why that would be, but quickly realized that it was because my 401(k) contributions are noticeably higher than my usual expenditures that is depleting the cash reserve. Hehe, duh.

I still badly want to re-build my cash reserve though, but won't be able to do so until March rolls around. It is crazy of me to look forward to March simply because of this?

* Believe it or not, but there's a new frugality & simple living meet-up group that has recently formed in my area. Unfortunately, it consists almost exclusively of stay-at-home mothers with children.

Not that there is anything wrong with that now, but... I am finding that besides the desire to be frugal, I don't have much in common with this particular group. Weird isn't it, considering that I hang out with exactly people like this online. Ah, but that's just it; it's only online. I don't know about how well it would work in real life. Still, I'll do what I can to support this group, and see what happens.

Sometimes, you stumble across something that is indeed, quite literally, More than Words can describe.

The only thing left to do... is to simply share it.

I just looked at my budget and proceeded to dial back down my 401(k) contribution. I did it now because it takes more than a week before the new contribution setting will kick in.

This also means I'm just one week shy of meeting my challenge. So then, the question is why did I stop the challenge early?

For one thing, I just bought some suits. Yeah, it was a bad time to be making large purchases of any kind, but in all honesty, the suits were a great deal, a great investment, and I really do need business attire of some kind for work.

Another is that I underestimated how much my cost of living would be. This is something important that I learned during this challenge.

You see, my original calculations were based on the idea that I had lost my job and that I would slash all of my living expenses to the absolute bare bone. But for a short-term challenge like this one, I didn't see the point of dialing down my bills only to bring it back up.

More importantly, I did try to cut back somewhere, but realized that there isn't much to cut back to begin with. Everything on my expense is a "need", including a cellphone (the only line I have) and internet (needed to search for a job).

So, instead of cutting back somewhere, I am faced with the grim reality that my EF should be a lot bigger than I first imagined. Then again, it's better to realize this now than to find out the hard way, in the event of a real emergency.

On the bright side, I've accelerated my 401(k) contributions greatly for this year! That's the goal, and I think that goal has been a success overall.

Once I move on to the new employer and 401(k) in March, I will be plowing full speed into replenishing the cash reserves. My EF right now is down to my minimum comfort level and I really, really do not like having it this low.

Now there's two words you won't hear me say everyday! But let me start from the beginning and say THANK YOU to all you smart ladies out there who really know how to dress a man.

I also did some research on my own, and although the advice I received here are invaluable, it also became clear to me that I still need to go to a specialty store where someone can measure me, visually inspect me, and custom tailor the suits to make sure they will fit right.

The Suits
And that's how I ended up shopping at the Mens Wearhouse. The employees there (both guys) were amazingly helpful. Best of all, not only are their suits on discount (from $500 down to $350), but everything in the store (except shoes) was buy 1 get 1 free on top of that! That means the suits are more like $175 each! For something that normally costs $500!

So, I picked up a couple of really nice suits. Single breasted, 3 buttons (that's all they had), and 100% worsted wool. One is dark navy, and it looks and feels great! Very conservative, looks timeless, but is also very formal.

The second suit is very similar in style and quality, but is charcoal gray and a bit less formal. Ideal for occasions when I am not attending something serious.

I also picked up four 100% cotton Oxford type dress shirts. Two matched the suits, and two more that can worn on its own (when suits are too much). The shirts are also buy 1 get 1 free.

No ties or shoes though. Shoes are dictated by the workplace, and I didn't really like any of the ties there. In a pinch, I can always borrow a tie from my dad's closet.

The Cologne
I've been going to this one mall for literally more than a decade now, and I've actually never known that there was a Macy's there. Luckily, I managed to stumble into it to look for some cologne.

It's amazing, the deals that are out there and how desperate people are, wanting you to shop. I literally got (politely) hounded by two sales reps there. "Hey, would you like to try this on? Go on, please, give it a try! Really good deal right now! How about this one?"

Some of Macy's clothing is on sale by as much as 65% off the original price, AND if you are a Macy's member (which I signed up for because it was free), you get much as an additional 30% off on top of that! Crazy.

Anyways, I sampled several colognes, and you know what? I never realized that colognes can smell "sweet", "powdery", and/or "musky". I mean, I almost never wear cologne, so I had no idea.

But in the end, I still decided on Lux's recommendation of Armani's Acqua Di Gio. It was the most conservative scent out of all the ones I sampled, and I think conservative is the safest option for a newbie. Plus, I do like the nice, light scent.

Speaking of which, exactly how much cologne is one suppose to use and where exactly do you apply it? Sorry, I have no idea about stuff like this.

In Closing....
Sorry that I also don't have any pictures. Although I have the dress shirts with me, the suits are still at the store, waiting to be tailored. And anyways, they're just suits, like any other suits anyone has ever seen.

Oh, and sorry about being so wordy. It might seem crazy talking this much about clothes shopping, but... all this is a unique experience to me. Quite literally, I have never done anything like this before! But in the end, I also think this is a good long term investment and I am happy with my purchases.

Update
I went back to the Mens Wearhouse to exchange my shirts, citing my concerns about wrinkles. They double checked my shirts and said that the shirts I bought are specially treated cotton shirts that prevent wrinkling. Sure enough, he showed me the label on the shirt that said, "Non-Iron". He added that that these treated cotton is actually even more wrinkle-free than a cotton/polyester blend.

And here I am wondering why these shirts were so expensive! Hehe. Although, because they were buy 1 get 1 free, they turned out to be about roughly the same price as any other comparable shirts found elsewhere, except these are suppose to be superior quality.

The employee was even wearing one, and showed me his. I double checked and asked if dryers will still wrinkle it, and he said that while nothing is impervious, my shirts should be the most resistant to it. Anyways, I've decided to keep these, because he said that if I somehow still don't like it, then they'll take it back and exchange it.

Non-financial related, whiney, mopey post ahead. Feel free to skip if you wish.

For the first time in years, I've finally gotten used to most holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. What I mean is, they don't give me the blues anymore... well, no more than it would give anyone else in similar situations as mine the blues.

But there's still one holiday that bothers me, and chances are, it will continue to bother me. And that day is obviously Valentine's Day.

Yeah, it's a commercial holiday that's always hard to go out and get anything done yadda yadda. But it's still tough though. Living the single life doesn't bother me most of the time, but it is inevitable that this holiday would remind me that I am alone in this world....

On the bright side, it won't cost me anything? I don't know. I'll get over it. I don't really have a point with this entry either. Just kind of... I guess I've always blogged here when something is bothering me, so I suppose this is just habit.

Anyway, I don't mean to be a downer. I hope you guys have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Here we are, a perfectly beautiful Saturday day, and what am I doing? Filing my tax returns. Why oh why did I choose to do this right now?

Albeit, I'm doing it a bit "late", because I've always made it a point to try to get it done by the end of January.

Still, 2008 promised to be super easy-- and for the most part, it was-- so I thought I could just crank that out real fast, and go out and play.

But much to surprise and dismay, it also turns out that I owe $85 in taxes. I've never had a year where I owed money before. I guess it shouldn't bother me either, but for some reason, it does.

Is it because we had that stimulus check and that got taxed? Is this something I have to adjust my withholdings for, or is this just a fluke year? My withholding is already a 1.

Oh well, anyway, what's done is done, and I want to move on and enjoy the rest of the day.

I don't know if any readers recall, but one of my 2009 goals is to increase my earnings. I think I've done just about all that I can on the frugality front. Well, I could do more, but I'm essentially debt-free and trouble-free right now, and all that's left is just to keep moving forward on my usual saving and investing regiment (which averages at about 60% of gross).

So, what about increasing my income? Well, because I am changing employers, my old employer is trying to retain me and referred me to another site they contract with for a job opening.

Well, I just got back from an interview at the other company, and I am very excited about how it went! In fact, I think it's the best interview I've ever had with anyone!

By the way, it's a $20 billion agricultural research and development company, so it looks stable enough. And yet, this particular site is small enough that everybody goes by their first names, which I really like.

Best of all, the people who interviewed me confided up front that they desperately need someone right now, because the old employee is several months pregnant and will eventually be on maternity leave.

Actually, that's not the best part. The best part is I know I am a perfect fit for the job, I am certain they feel that way as well, and the interviewer even said, "We know you already have an offer from the other employer, and while we can't guarantee anything at the moment, I promise you that our offer will be extremely competitive!"

So! They want to get this done quickly, I hope they believe I am the perfect guy for the job, and they're willing pay up for it. I can't wait to find out what they have in mind!

Even if this doesn't pan out, the new employer at my current job has already re-hired me with a slight pay bump so... smells like a win-win to me!

There's just one thing that concerns me about this new offer. I asked what would happen to me when the old employee comes back from maternity leave. The interviewer basically said that they can't guarantee anything, but the workload is big enough for two people. Hmm.

Anyways, I have one last place I want to try to look into. Another pharmaceutical company that's really stable (makes generics), and I have a great contact there. Will have to see what happens with that one.

But yeah, Woohoo!

Ok, first, let me just say that this is most definitely not the best title I've ever came up with. However, I do have a slightly interesting "problem" on my hands.

For literally years, I've worn the work clothes that my employer has issued to me. For both on and off work.

And why not? Polo-like shirts and khaki pants? It actually looks pretty good. Best of all, it's free. It even comes with free dry cleaning!

But now that I am switching employers, I have to turn it back in soon. Supposedly, the new employers have their own "uniform", but what will that look like? When will I get it? What do I wear in the meantime?

And besides, I really do need clothes of my own anyways, in the remote chance that this new employer doesn't work out and I have to job hunt.

Oh, and in case you're wondering? No, my old clothes won't work. Not unless my merry collection of gag T-shirts ranging from, "Kiss me because I'm Irish" (I'm not), "I love mushrooms" (Mario Bros. video game joke), "I do my own stunts" (that one is true), and the ever-popular "I'm not a doctor, but I'll take a look at it" will win over prospective employers and women alike, then yes, I suppose I could wear them.

But something tells me I need clothes that are a bit more... formal. Something I can wear to interviews. Something that I can wear at work. Something I can wear while out at town.

Is such a thing possible? I'm a guy so, I really just need one set of clothes that I can wear anywhere for most if not all occasions.

And of course, I'm also hoping to pull this off for as little money as possible.... Or is clothing something that I should probably spend a little bit on quality?

Oh, and if it helps, I already have some navy blue slacks that I can keep wearing. But, if I have to ditch them because they're mismatched somehow, then... well, so be it.

So, based on all this, can anyone here make any recommendations on what kind of outfit I should wear? I don't know anything about clothing or where to even shop for stuff like this....

Also,

what do you guys think of this outfit?

Well, good news! I just got official word that the new employer will indeed be re-hiring me, and with a slight pay increase as well!

They probably want me to take on more work for this "slight pay increase", but I don't care. In this tough economy, I'm just glad that I still have a job and they even want to pay me more for it! And anyway, taking on more work right now is just "job security".

Yeah, more pay! I'll take it!

Wells Fargo
I didn't mention this before, but a little while back, I bought Wells Fargo stock when they were at their 52-week low. Despite the spike in trading activity, there was no support and the trade failed miserably.

Today, Wells' earnings report is coming out and I was expecting a lot more bleeding. Preliminary report suggests that they are looking at a 20% loss in earnings. So, what do I find when I looked up the ticker? The stock went up overnight by nearly 20%!

Can somebody please tell me what in the world is going on here? This makes no sense to me. But you know what happens when a stock spikes up on bad news that makes no sense to me. That's right, SELL!

Sadly, I'm still going to lose money on this trade, but the good news is, I won't lose too much. Which comes to another point I've been pondering.

Stock trading hiatus
I am seriously considering getting out of stock trading for a while. It's not so much that I don't want to trade stocks anymore, but just knowing that the money I am trading with is mid-term money for a house some day.

Due to the nature of this money and my personal housing situation, it would be wisest to put it all in a bond fund or some kind of income/cash investment. I just haven't because I really, really wanted to learn more about the stock market and trading stocks in general.

But at this point, I have. I may not be good at it, but it's still a good learning experience. And it doesn't mean I can't come back to it later. By yeah, the point is I may need to re-think this because I don't think I am putting this money where it really belongs. I know that if this was a question that came up in the forums, I would have advised against stock trading.

So, yeah, I'm looking at a different path for this money.... Maybe bonds.

The new boss
I learned something more about the new contractor and their 401(k). First of all, it turns out that they're a Fortune 100 company that has been around for more than a century. I checked their ticker and they are currently an $8 billion company. They lost a lot of value in 2008, but the trend is consistent with the Dow so I don't think it's them.

Anyway, they had an after-work meet-and-greet where we got to know the people and they even fed us delicious barbeque ribs and chicken! So free dinner last night. And for what appears to be a conservative company, the management seem like really cool people.

The 401(k) is a fairly typical $0.40 per dollar match, at 6% of gross. But here's the really cool part: The company that's handling the 401(k) is Fidelity! Fidelity! I'm going to be with Fidelity!

Well, I mean, I don't know for sure that I am re-hired just yet. The official announcement won't be until Friday, but I am quite confident that they're going to keep us incumbent employees.

But yeah, I really don't like my current 401(k) and I'll be looking forward to rolling that money into Vanguard as well. Even though Fidelity is great and I could roll it there, I still prefer Vanguard. It's not so much that I think one is better than the other, but it's just a matter of personal preference here.

Wow, so these quickies are not as quick as I thought.

Sooo, I haven't done these for a while, and I figure, why not?

Milestones
I don't like talking about milestones anymore because I think after a certain point, well, I feel like I would only be bragging a whole lot about very little.

Still, I did reach an important one recently. You see, when I first came on board on SA, I was in the hole for nearly -$40k. As of this point, my net worth has now flip-flopped to nearly $40k up!

Of course, most of it is in retirement, and I've still got a long way to go, but it just feels so great to be able to get out of that stinkin' hole and see the light for once!

Stimulus
On a slightly bummer kind of a note, my stimulus check money finally ran out.

Some readers may or may not remember that I converted my entire 2008 stimulus check to grocery gift cards, and in return, the grocery chain offered to add an additional 10% to the total! 10% extra free money for something that I needed to begin with was simply too good to pass up.

I kinda liked having "free money" for groceries, but sadly, now I have to go back to using my regular pool of money, which is a bummer.

Dummy
Ok, you guys will think I'm crazy, and I won't blame you at all. In fact, even *I* think I am crazy. But you know, I've always wanted a punching dummy. Hehe, yeah... a punching dummy. But not just any dummy! (Why are you looking at me like that?) It's one of those really fancy kinds that's actually shaped like a real guy. The brochure calls it a "manikin" and it allows you to train for more accurate strikes.

In fact, this thing normally costs a premium price of $249.99, but I found it on sale at a local sporting goods store that is selling it for $99.99! HIYA! Chop!

Yes, it's crazy, and yes, $100 is still $100. In fact, this is the part where I would really feel guilty coming home with this giant thing standing in the middle of the living room, and I guess I should be glad that there is not a woman there with her arms crossed looking very... cross. Like she's going to use ME as a "manikin".

But so long as I am still single, and even though I'm on the 401(k) challenge, I thought the discount was too good to pass up. In fact, they had to hold me up at the register for nearly 15 minutes just to double check the price because they couldn't believe the discount either.

But anyways, I admit it's a guilty pleasure, and ultimately, I don't have a good excuse for spending that kind of money. Please forgive me! ;-)

Normally, I'd wait until pay day to update, but seeing as how I am currently not receiving a paycheck (with it going to 401(k) instead), I decided that now is as good as any!

January. Not surprisingly, my net worth went up because January is when my employer's 401(k) match hits my account. It kind of skews things, but I'm not complaining!

I was heartened when I looked at my net worth list, seeing the pit from where I started, all the way to where I am currently. It gives me a sense of hope that maybe, just maybe, I can make it after all.

Especially in light of the fact that there's all this upheaval going on at the workplace. It just goes to show that the only financial security is the one you create for yourself.

You'll have to pardon my overall lack of enthusiasm today. Just another Monday blues kind of day I think.

Some may recall my uh experience last year trying to learn the guitar, but only made a test recording. In any case, I finally got the time, inclination, and all the gear in place to make a "full" recording of Jack Johnson's Belle.

Now, I know it's far from perfect, but you know, I've never tried to be perfect with these things. I just do it strictly for fun so....

With that in mind,

here's my full recording for Belle.

Now I can finally move on to a different song....

has begun in earnest. I received my paycheck stub earlier (which had no pay), and I just doubled checked my 401(k) website and saw that my full contribution has gone through.

I did not do 100% however. I rolled it back down to about 80%, because I think it'll make me feel better knowing that enough money is going to make sure that my insurance is paid. I assume that it is even if I did 100% and my paycheck stub seems to confirm it, but I still want to play it safe.... Besides, 80% is plenty anyways.

As for my budget, well, I admit it's slightly unnerving seeing my emergency fund dip in noticeable chunks at a time. I mean, I know it's temporary, and I can also stop this anytime I want. But, I guess it's just the psychological mindset of it all. It's amazing how when you get used to a certain level of funds as backup, you no longer see it as some kind of "free extra money" but more like "necessary survival money". Kinda funny like that eh?

The weather has cooled considerably, and the forecast is that we're going to be hit with a particularly cold blast of arctic air front soon.

At the same time, I paid my gas bill earlier today, and by my standards, they were astronomical.

Also, did I mention that I should be living on only savings in the upcoming days? In fact, it's probably started and I don't even know it yet. (I won't know for sure until tomorrow, which is my pay day.)

Put it all together, and well, I am back staring thoughtfully at the closet again. Hehehe.

But I started recalling my closet-living days. I remembered the upside, which was a savings of roughly $30 per month in gas bills. However, I also remembered how it had gotten so cold that taking showers, cooking in the kitchen, and just staying at home at all was quite unpleasant. In other words, it also resulted in a lot of hidden costs in terms of me not staying home and cooking for example. Instead, I was wasting more car gas being out longer, eating out more, and was more likely to buy something while I was out.

So, for $30 a month, I no longer think it is worth me trying to get by living in my closet again.

I know, I know. I'm sure many of you dear readers are quite disappointed with this decision to forego months of potential comic relief. I'll try to make it up to you guys in the upcoming 401(k) Challenge. (Yes, it's got a name now.)

So yeah anyways, this post is basically about nothing. What can I say except that, Yes I Am, Master of My Domain!

Most of the time, I really do think people don't give frugality enough credit. However, I also realize that even frugality has its limits. Theoretically.

That is, I never thought I'd even see an example of its limits...

until I read this.

I mean, this guy really has me scratching my head. Work a little so you can quit, travel, and even gamble until money runs out and you're forced to go back to work? You're 40 years old and you don't think you have the time to fix this issue? Is this guy even frugal?

Suze has a new book out. I haven't read it yet, but it's free! Grab it before the offer ends on Jan 15th.

LINK

I have to share something, because I think

this could be one of the best blog entries I've ever read. Please feel free to jump there first before finishing this entry.

To add, I do think happiness is fleeting, and when it arrives, we don't always register it as such, because often times, it's the little things. Well, at least I don't notice because I can be dense sometimes.

But the upside is that I believe happiness is also always right around the corner. You're never far from it, if you work towards it.

I also think happiness is, or rather should be internal. You can't hold out and wait for someone else or something else to make you happy. Otherwise, you could end up waiting forever.

Most relevant of all, I don't think there is a conflict between happiness and money. There are rich happy people, and there are poor happy people. There are also rich unhappy people, and there are poor unhappy people. (Although, statistically, the rich tend to be happier, especially if the goal is financial security, not worldly possessions.)

To be honest, happiness is something that has been elusive to me for years. So, for 2009, among other things, I'm going to pursue a happier, more meaningful year.

Double post today, but something's come up that requires my attention and perhaps your assistance.

Long story short, our contract got bought out by another contractor. Although nothing is for certain, the new contractor said that it's only a management change, and they plan to keep all of us regular employees.

In any case, I've checked the 401(k) plan for the new contractor, and they have a performance-based match (which appears to be around $0.50 to $.65 per dollar dollar), but with a match limit of "only" up to 6% of gross.

Now, I realize this is fairly typical, but my current employer has NO LIMIT on their employer match (at $0.28 per dollar).

So, here's what I am thinking of doing (and perhaps this is the part where I once again live up to my name). I'm thinking of giving 100% of my paycheck for the next two months to my current 401(k). Two months because that's how long the current contractor has before their contract expires. That way, I can take advantage of as much of their employer match as I can, while I still can. After that, I'll ease up considerably to both replenish the EF, as well as adjust to the new contractor's terms.

My EF is more than enough to cover expenses for the next two months, so I don't think this is completely insane. Just the same, I would have to be super-careful because I would be living on emergency savings alone. Then again, if it turns out to be undoable, then I'll just dial the contributions back down.

Soooo, what do you guys think about this idea? Too crazy, or just crazy enough that it might work? (Actually, I've already switched it over to 100%, BUT if someone thinks this is a really bad idea, I can always switch it back.)

I've been using minutes a lot faster than I realize, and it's got me looking at my cellphone situation again.

Again, the best rates comes down to Tracfone and Net10. Carlos Slim owns both of these, and is probably why they are so similar.

Although the differences are subtle, Tracfone typically costs a bit more, whereas Net10-- as their name implies-- guarantees no more than $0.10 per minute, but at the cost of your length of service.

I originally went with Tracfone because it's ideal for someone who rarely uses the a phone (thus favoring length of service over a slightly lower rate). However, since I am using more minutes than I thought, it would seem that Net10 would be a better fit (since a better rate is more important than length in this case).

So, once the minutes are used up on this phone, I am thinking of transferring my number over to Net10 instead. We'll have to see. In fact, if I get Net10's highest minutes (4000 for $400), they'll add an additional 1000 minutes, making it the cheapest rates of them all (at $0.08 per minute). The only slight downside is having to pony up $400 up front, for a pre-pay phone.

Anyway, just thinking out loud. Anybody know of an even better deal than this?

After spending years living where I am and dealing with some glare on my computer screen, I finally got around to doing something about it by getting some bedroom curtains.

The bedroom windows are interesting in that the previous owner decided to weld his own curtain hanging frame out of small copper piping. I don't know why, but that's what he did. This also presents an interesting challenge because many of the conventional curtains out there would not work.

It just happens so that I also have a set of leftover shower curtain hooks that is collecting dust in my closet. Put two and two together, and you've got another mad-cap, zany idea brewing in my head.

Yes, I thought, "Hey, what about shower curtains? Why not?" I've tried stranger things before, so why not indeed! I headed over to Bed Bath and Beyond to take a look at what my options are out there.

You know, I never realized until now that there are some very plush shower curtains out there! The one I settled on is made out of 100% polyester, but it feels unnaturally good! Very fabricky, not plasticky!

I bought it, gave it a try and lo and behold, it worked out great! It blocks out just enough light to not cause a glare problem, and yet, still lets enough sunlight into the room to make a very distinctive "warm glow" that I find very soothing!

Yeah, so the idea is crazy, but I really love how it turned out! (Either that, or I'm just easy like Sunday morning.) Of course, I can't simply describe this with just words alone, so here's a quick picture of my room (taken at night).

Here's the curtain pattern that I selected.



Oh yeah, and here are the leftover hooks that I used.